NCIS “Hardboiled” (CBS, Monday, December 2, 2024)

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This Monday, “NCIS” offers a classic, if not slightly creaky, undercover escapade. “Hardboiled,” the ominously titled Season 21, Episode 8 (or #478 for those keeping score at home), finds Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) neck-deep in the murky world of black market intel. Apparently, some top-secret Naval information has sprung a leak, and our perpetually ruffled agent is tasked with plugging it before it’s sold off piecemeal to the highest bidder.

Torres, working with a confidential informant (because what’s an undercover operation without a shifty accomplice?), must infiltrate this shadowy network of information brokers. Will he succeed in retrieving the sensitive data? Or will he be made, compromised, or worse? “NCIS,” despite its two-decade run, occasionally remembers how to crank up the tension. This week, at least on paper, looks like one of those times.

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This isn’t exactly reinventing the spy thriller wheel. We’ve seen this basic setup countless times – the mole, the race against time, the threat of global catastrophe hanging in the balance. But the “NCIS” formula, much like a comfortable pair of old shoes, offers a certain predictable pleasure. It’s familiar, it’s unchallenging, and sometimes, that’s precisely what you want on a Monday night.

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“Hardboiled” is written by Andrew Bartels and directed by Jose Clemente Hernandez. Their combined efforts will determine whether this episode adds anything new to the well-worn undercover trope, or whether it’s content to coast on the fumes of past glories. Let’s just hope Torres remembers to bring his sunglasses.

“NCIS” airs Monday, December 2nd, from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST on CBS. You can also catch it on Paramount+.

Andrew Martins, reviewer, recapper, deep diver, scifi specialist. Thinks Blakes 7 is better than Star Trek. Yes I do go to fan conventions and no I don't dress up. Well okay maybe I do a bit.